RFID information processing

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to radio frequency identification (RFID)-based communications technologies. In one aspect, a radio-frequency-based communications apparatus includes an antenna, a near field communication (NFC) radio frequency module and an electronic product code (EPC) radio frequency module separately connected to the antenna, an NFC processing module connected to the NFC radio frequency module, and an EPC processing module connected to the EPC radio frequency module. The NFC radio frequency module and the NFC processing module are configured to process signals transmitted according to one or more predetermined NFC protocols. The EPC radio frequency module and the EPC processing module are configured to process signals transmitted according to one or more predetermined EPC protocols.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of PCT Application No.PCT/CN2020/071983, filed on Jan. 14, 2020, which claims priority toChinese Patent Application No. 201910660159.9, filed on Jul. 22, 2019,and each application is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Implementations of the present specification relate to the field ofradio frequency identification (RFID)-based communications technologies.

BACKGROUND

Recently, the use of near field communication (NFC) technology isincreasing. For example, NFC technology is being used foranti-counterfeit and is integrated into mobile phones for card swiping,payments, etc. NFC is developed based on RFID (radio frequencytechnology), and can be used to transmit signals between two objectsclose to each other in terms of geographic location. NFC is ashort-range high-frequency radio technology, and runs in a distance of20 centimeters (cm) at a 13.56 MHz frequency, and has low cost, highbandwidth and low energy consumption compared with RFID. Currently, NFCpromotes standardization in protocol frameworks of ISO 18092, ECMA 340,ETSI TS 102 190, and is compatible with widely applied protocolstandards such as ISO 14443, Type-A, ISO 15693, B, and Felica. The ISO15693 protocol has a further communication distance than the ISO 14443protocol, and the distance can reach 1.5 meters (m) when there issufficient energy. Therefore, the ISO 15693 protocol has some advantagesover ISO 14443. Because the ISO 14443 standard has a communicationdistance smaller than 10 cm, the standard has a security feature at abank and financial level that is difficult to be attacked using aman-in-the-middle attack.

The ISO 14443 protocol is commonly used in NFC cards related to banks.Among NFC cards, an NFC card including a CPU circuit has disadvantagesof high costs and high consumption compared with an NFC card including alogic circuit, and cannot support long range communication. However, anasymmetric national secret algorithm such as SM2 can run at the front,which has a higher security level. In addition, an electronic labelbased on an ultra-high frequency (UHF) has better advantages in terms ofcommunication distance.

SUMMARY

Implementations of the present specification aim to provide aradio-frequency-based communication apparatuses. The apparatus includesan antenna, an NFC radio frequency module and an electronic product code(EPC) radio frequency module separately connected to the antenna, an NFCprocessing module connected to the NFC radio frequency module, and anEPC processing module connected to the EPC radio frequency module. TheNFC radio frequency module and the NFC processing module correspond to apredetermined NFC protocol, and the EPC radio frequency module and theEPC processing module correspond to a predetermined EPC protocol.

In an implementation, the NFC radio frequency module outputs firstinformation satisfying a first near field communication protocol basedon a 13.56 MHz radio frequency signal from the antenna.

The NFC processing module includes a CPU circuit and a power controlunit. The CPU circuit is connected to the NFC radio frequency moduleusing the power control unit. The power control unit controls the CPUcircuit based on an indication included in the first information, so asto suppress the CPU circuit when a communication distance of the firstnear field communication protocol is greater than a predeterminedthreshold.

In an implementation, the NFC processing module further includes a logiccircuit. The logic circuit is connected to the radio frequency moduleusing the power control unit. The power control unit further suppressesthe logic circuit when the communication distance of the first nearfield communication protocol is smaller than the predeterminedthreshold.

In an implementation, the NFC radio frequency module includes ademodulator, and a first decoder and a second decoder separatelyconnected to the demodulator. The first decoder and the second decoderrespectively correspond to two near field communication protocols. Thedemodulator outputs a baseband signal demodulated by the demodulator toa corresponding decoder based on a protocol identifier included in thebaseband signal, where a communication distance of one of the two nearfield communication protocols is smaller than the predeterminedthreshold, and a communication distance of the other near fieldcommunication protocol is greater than the predetermined threshold.

In an implementation, the EPC processing module is connected to anencryption/decryption unit included in the CPU circuit and/or anencryption/decryption unit included in the logic circuit.

In an implementation, the apparatus further includes an energy receivingmodule, and the energy receiving module is separately connected to theantenna, the NFC radio frequency module, and the EPC radio frequencymodule.

In an implementation, the apparatus further includes a storage module,the storage module is separately connected to the NFC processing moduleand the EPC processing module, the apparatus is an anti-counterfeitelectronic label, and the storage module stores anti-counterfeitinformation.

Another aspect of the present specification provides an informationprocessing method based on a communications apparatus. Thecommunications apparatus is the previous communications apparatus, andthe method includes: receiving first information from a reader/writer byusing a corresponding radio frequency module in the NFC radio frequencymodule and the EPC radio frequency module based on a frequency of asignal sensed by the antenna; and performing information processing byusing a corresponding processing module in the NFC processing module andthe EPC processing module in response to the first information.

In an implementation, when the frequency of the signal sensed by theantenna is 900 MHz, the performing information processing by using acorresponding processing module in the NFC processing module and the EPCprocessing module includes: performing information processing by the EPCprocessing module by using the encryption/decryption unit to obtainsecond information; and the method further includes: sending the secondinformation to the reader/writer by using the EPC radio frequency moduleand the antenna.

In an implementation, the apparatus further includes an energy receivingmodule, the energy receiving module is separately connected to theantenna, the NFC radio frequency module, and the EPC radio frequencymodule, and the method is performed based on energy provided by theenergy receiving module.

In an implementation, the power control unit includes a first switch,the first switch is connected to the CPU circuit, and when the frequencyof the signal sensed by the antenna is 13.56 MHz, the performinginformation processing by using a corresponding processing module in theNFC processing module and the EPC processing module in response to thefirst information includes: switching the first switch to a switch-offstate when the communication distance of the first near fieldcommunication protocol is greater than the predetermined threshold andthe first switch is in a switch-on state.

In an implementation, when the frequency of the signal sensed by theantenna is 13.56 MHz, the performing information processing by using acorresponding processing module in the NFC processing module and the EPCprocessing module in response to the first information includes:switching the first switch to a switch-on state when the communicationdistance of the first near field communication protocol is smaller thanthe predetermined threshold and the first switch is in a switch-offstate, so that the CPU circuit performs information processing inresponse to the first information.

In an implementation, the power control unit includes a second switch,the second switch is connected to the logic circuit, and when thefrequency of the signal sensed by the antenna is 13.56 MHz, theperforming information processing by using a corresponding processingmodule in the NFC processing module and the EPC processing module inresponse to the first information further includes: switching the secondswitch to a switch-off state when the communication distance of thefirst near field communication protocol is smaller than thepredetermined threshold and the second switch is in a switch-on state.

In an implementation, the second switch is switched to a switch-on statewhen the communication distance of the first near field communicationprotocol is greater than the predetermined threshold and the secondswitch is in a switch-off state, so that the logic circuit performsinformation processing in response to the first information.

In an implementation, the storage module stores anti-counterfeit dataand a key, the performing, by the logic circuit, information processingin response to the first information includes: encrypting theanti-counterfeit data by the logic circuit in the NFC processing moduleby using the key, to obtain encrypted anti-counterfeit data as secondinformation; and the method further includes: sending the secondinformation to the reader/writer by using the NFC radio frequency moduleand the antenna.

In an implementation, the storage module further stores a private key, apublic key, and a first digital signature of an authority for the publickey, the first information includes a first random number, and theperforming, by the CPU circuit, information processing in response tothe first information includes: signing the anti-counterfeit data andthe random number by the CPU circuit by using the private key to obtaina second digital signature, so as to use the anti-counterfeit data, thepublic key, the first digital signature, and the second digitalsignature as second information; and the method further includes:sending the second information to the reader/writer by using the NFCradio frequency module and the antenna.

In the RFID apparatus in the implementations of the presentspecification, antennas sharing 13.56 MHz are integrated to form an NFCpart and a UHF part, thereby saving a chip area. An encryption module isshared, so that the UHF part reaches a higher security level. Inaddition, the energy receiving circuit is preposed, so that the UHF parthas a further transmit distance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The implementations of the present specification are described withreference to the accompanying drawings, to make the implementations ofthe present specification clearer:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an RFID system;

FIG. 2 shows a radio-frequency-based communications apparatus, accordingto an implementation of the present specification;

FIG. 3 shows an RFID apparatus, according to an implementation of thepresent specification;

FIG. 4 shows an example structure of an NFC radio frequency module;

FIG. 5 shows an example structure of a power control unit;

FIG. 6 shows an RFID apparatus, according to another implementation ofthe present specification; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an information processingmethod based on a communications apparatus, according to animplementation of the present specification.

DESCRIPTION OF IMPLEMENTATIONS

The following describes the implementations of the present specificationwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an RFID system. As shown inFIG. 1, the system includes a terminal 11, a reader/writer 12, and anRFID apparatus 13. For example, the terminal 11 is a computingprocessing apparatus such as a computer or a mobile phone. Thereader/writer 12 provides energy and transmits data to the RFIDapparatus 13 by transmitting a radio frequency. The reader/writer 12 isa read/write apparatus used for the RFID apparatus 13, and includes apower supply 121, a read/write module 122, a radio frequency module 123,and an antenna 124. The power supply 121 provides energy to the radiofrequency module 123, the read/write module 122 provides data to theradio frequency module 123, and after modulating a baseband signal, theradio frequency module 123 sends a corresponding radio frequency byusing the antenna 124. The RFID apparatus 13 is, for example an RFIDlabel, or an NFC module in a mobile phone. The RFID apparatus 13includes an antenna 131, a radio frequency module 132, a processingmodule 133, and a storage module 134. After the reader/writer 12provides energy to the RFID apparatus, the RFID apparatus 13 parses datafrom the received radio frequency by using the radio frequency module132, performs data processing in the processing module 133 based on thedata and data stored in the storage module 134, and sends information tothe reader/writer 12 based on a processing result. After receiving theinformation from the RFID apparatus 13, the reader/writer 12 transmitsthe information to the terminal 11 for service processing.

It can be understood that the RFID system shown in FIG. 1 is merely anexample, and is not used to limit the scope of the implementations ofthe present specification. The following describes in detail anapparatus structure of the RFID apparatus in the implementations of thepresent specification and an information processing method based on theRFID apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows a radio-frequency-based communications apparatus 200,according to an implementation of the present specification. Theapparatus 200 includes an antenna 21, an NFC radio frequency module 22and an EPC radio frequency module 23 separately connected to theantenna, an NFC processing module 24 connected to the NFC radiofrequency module, an EPC processing module 25 connected to the EPC radiofrequency module, and a storage module 26 separately connected to theNFC processing module and the EPC processing module. The NFC radiofrequency module and the NFC processing module correspond to apredetermined NFC protocol, and the EPC radio frequency module and theEPC processing module correspond to a predetermined EPC protocol.

For example, the antenna 21 is a 13.56 MHz antenna, or another antennathat can be used to sense radio frequency signals of 13.56 MHz and 900MHz. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, both the NFC radio frequencymodule and the EPC radio frequency module are connected to the sameantenna, thereby saving costs, occupied space, etc. of a UHF antenna,and occupying a small chip area. To be specific, an NFC function and aUHF function are integrated into one chip. It has been verified byexperiment that the solution is implementable.

It may be understood that the apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 2 is merely anexample, but not a limitation. For example, the apparatus 200unnecessarily includes the storage module 26 separately connected to theNFC processing module and the EPC processing module, and instead, theapparatus 200 can include two storage modules. One storage module isconnected to the NFC processing module, and the other storage module isconnected to the EPC processing module.

In an implementation, the NFC radio frequency module can output firstinformation satisfying a first near field communication protocol or asecond near field communication protocol based on a 13.56 MHz radiofrequency signal from the antenna. A communication distance of thesecond near field communication protocol is greater than a predeterminedthreshold. A communication distance of the first near fieldcommunication protocol is smaller than the predetermined threshold. Forexample, the predetermined threshold is 10 cm or 15 cm, etc., the firstnear field communication protocol is an ISO 14443A protocol or an ISO14443B protocol, etc., and the second near field communication protocolis an ISO 15693 protocol. FIG. 3 shows an RFID apparatus 300 based onthe implementation. As shown in FIG. 3, compared with FIG. 2, the NFCprocessing module 24 in FIG. 2 includes a power control unit 214, a CPUcircuit 242, and a logic circuit 243. The CPU circuit 242 and the logiccircuit 243 are separately connected to the NFC radio frequency module22 by the power control unit 214, and the power control unit 214controls the CPU circuit and the logic circuit based on the instructionsincluded in the first information, so as to suppress the CPU circuitwhen the first information satisfies the second near field communicationprotocol.

FIG. 4 shows an example structure of the NFC radio frequency module 22.As shown in FIG. 4, the NFC radio frequency module 22 includes ademodulator 221, a first decoder 222, and a second decoder 223. Forexample, the first decoder 222 corresponds to the ISO 14443A protocol,and the second decoder 223 corresponds to the ISO 15693 protocol. Thedemodulator 221 obtains a baseband signal after demodulating a signalsensed by the antenna. The baseband signal is usually a digital signal.For example, a signal in a predetermined period (for example, a signalin the first predetermined period) of the baseband signal is used toindicate a protocol identifier, so that a protocol corresponding to thebaseband signal may be determined by reading the signal in thepredetermined period of the baseband signal, and the baseband signal isoutput to a corresponding decoder. For example, it can be predeterminedthat when the signal in the first cycle is at a high level, the basebandsignal corresponds to the ISO 14443A protocol, and when the signal inthe first period is at a low level, the baseband signal corresponds tothe ISO 15693 protocol. Therefore, the protocol corresponding to thebaseband signal can be determined by reading a level in the firstperiod, so as to output the baseband signal to the correspondingdecoder. It can be understood that a structure of the radio frequencymodule 22 is not limited thereto. For example, it is unnecessary thatonly two decoders can be disposed in the radio frequency module 22, andinstead, a plurality of a plurality of decoders can be disposed tocorrespond to different protocols. For example, the radio frequencymodule 22 can further include a third decoder to correspond to the ISO14443B protocol.

It can be understood that the first near field communication protocol isnot limited to the ISO 14443 protocol, and the second near fieldcommunication protocol is not limited to the ISO 15693 protocol,provided that a communication distance of the protocol satisfies apredetermined standard.

The CPU circuit 242 and the logic circuit 243 are respectivelyconfigured to process the first information satisfying the first nearfield communication protocol and the second near field communicationprotocol. In addition, the CPU circuit 242 and the logic circuit 243 areseparately connected to the storage module 26. The CPU circuit 242includes complex operation logic, and the logic circuit 243 includessimple operation logic.

In an implementation, the first information is a protocol packetsatisfying a specific NFC protocol, and the protocol packet includes aprotocol packet identifier, such as “15693”. Therefore, after receivingthe protocol packet from the NFC radio frequency module 22, the powercontrol unit 214 can determine switch control on the CPU circuit and thelogic circuit based on the protocol packet identifier in the protocolpacket. In an implementation, the information from the reader/writerincludes a predetermined instruction. For example, it may bepredetermined that an instruction 01 corresponds to suppression of theCPU circuit. Therefore, the power control unit can perform acorresponding operation after receiving the instruction from the NFCradio frequency module 22.

FIG. 5 shows an example structure of the power control unit 214. Asshown in the figure, the power control unit 214 includes, for example, afirst switch 2411, a first switch logic circuit 2412, a second switch2413, and a second switch logic circuit 2414. The first switch 2411 andthe first switch logic circuit 2412 are connected in series between theNFC radio frequency module 22 and the CPU circuit 242, and areconfigured to control a power supply of the CPU circuit. The secondswitch 2413 and the second switch logic circuit 2414 are connected inseries between the NFC radio frequency module 22 and the logic circuit243, and are configured to control the logic circuit.

In an implementation, the first switch and the second switch areswitches of two MOS transistors (metal-oxide semiconductor field-effecttransistors) respectively connected to the CPU circuit and the logiccircuit. In this case, the switch of the MOS transistor can becontrolled by using a corresponding switch logic circuit. For example,the switch logic circuit can adjust corresponding voltage of the CPUcircuit or the logic circuit based on an instruction from thereader/writer, to control the switch of the MOS transistor. For example,when the frequency of the signal sensed by the antenna is 13.56 MHz, andit is determined, based on the indication from the reader/writer, toperform communication by using the ISO 15693 protocol, the power supplyof the CPU circuit can be cut off by using the switch of the MOStransistor connected to the CPU circuit. When it is determined, based onthe instruction from the reader/writer, to perform communication byusing the ISO 14443 (A/B) protocol, the power supply of the CPU circuitcan be connected by using the MOS transistor connected to the CPUcircuit, and a power supply of the logic circuit can be connected ordisconnected based on a predetermined rule by using the MOS transistorconnected to the logic circuit.

In an implementation, the first switch and the second switch are twoclock switching switches respectively connected to the CPU circuit andthe logic circuit. In this case, an input clock pulse of the clockswitching switch may be controlled by using a corresponding switch logiccircuit. For example, the switch logic circuit may adjust the inputclock pulse of each clock switching switch based on an indication fromthe reader/writer, to control the clock switching switch. For example,when the frequency of the signal sensed by the antenna is 13.56 MHz, andit is determined, based on the indication from the reader/writer, toperform communication by using the ISO 15693 protocol, a clock frequencyof the CPU circuit can be reduced or a clock of the CPU circuit can beturned off by using the clock switching switch connected to the CPUcircuit. When it is determined, based on the indication from thereader/writer, to perform communication by using the ISO 14443 protocol,the clock frequency of the CPU circuit may be restored by using theclock switching switch connected to the CPU circuit, and a clockfrequency of the logic circuit may be controlled (suppressed or notsuppressed) based on a predetermine rule by using the clock switchingswitch connected to the logic circuit.

In an implementation, when the first information includes an indicationcorresponding to the ISO 14443A protocol, the clock frequency of thelogic circuit is reduced or a clock of the logic circuit is turned offby using the second switch. When the first information includes anindication corresponding to the ISO 15693 protocol, the clock frequencyof the logic circuit is restored by using the second switch.

It may be understood that the power control unit 214 shown in FIG. 5 ismerely an example, and is not used to limit the scope of theimplementations of the present specification. For example, when the CPUcircuit is suppressed only during remote communication and the logiccircuit is controlled during near field communication, the logic circuitdoes not need to be connected to the power control unit 214, but can bedirectly connected to the NFC radio frequency module 22 as in theexisting technology. Therefore, the power control unit 214 needs toinclude only the first switch logic circuit 2412 and the first switch2411 connected to the CPU circuit. To be specific, the power controlunit 214 controls only the CPU circuit, so that when performing remotecommunication, the near field communications apparatus does not consumesensed power caused by running of the CPU circuit. As such, the nearfield communications apparatus has enough power for performing remotecommunication.

When the first near field communication protocol and the second nearfield communication protocol each include a plurality of protocols, andthe radio frequency module 22 sends, for example, the first informationsatisfying the first near field communication protocol to the CPUcircuit 242 by using the power control unit 214, the CPU circuit 242selects a corresponding protocol based on a protocol identifier in thefirst information, to process the first information.

In an implementation, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, both the CPUcircuit 242 and the logic circuit 243 include an encryption/decryptionunit, and the EPC processing module 25 is connected to at least one ofthe encryption/decryption unit in the CPU circuit 242 and theencryption/decryption unit in the logic circuit 243, so that the EPCprocessing module 25 may share the encryption/decryption unit. As such,processing of the EPC processing module reaches a higher security level.

FIG. 6 shows an RFID apparatus 600, according to another implementationof the present specification. Compared with the apparatus shown in FIG.2, the apparatus 600 further includes an energy receiving module 27, andthe energy receiving module 27 is separately connected to the antenna21, the NFC radio frequency module 22, and the EPC radio frequencymodule 23. As shown in FIG. 6, the energy receiving module 27 ispreposed, so that a UHF part can use a 13.56 MHz electromagnetic fieldto store energy and send/receive information. As such, the UHF part hasa further communication distance.

The RFID apparatus is, for example, an anti-counterfeit electroniclabel, so that anti-counterfeit information is stored in the storagemodule 26. The electronic label integrates an NFC label and a UHF label.A specific process of prevent counterfeiting by using theanti-counterfeit label is described below in detail.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an information processingmethod based on a communications apparatus. The communications apparatusis the radio-frequency-based communications apparatus shown in FIG. 2,and the method includes the following steps.

Step S702: Receive first information from a reader/writer by using acorresponding radio frequency module in the NFC radio frequency moduleand the EPC radio frequency module based on a frequency of a signalsensed by the antenna.

Step S704: Perform information processing by using a correspondingprocessing module in the NFC processing module and the EPC processingmodule in response to the first information.

As described above, when the communications apparatus is an electroniclabel, the electronic label is an integrated electronic labelintegrating an NFC label and a UHF label. In particular, when the NFClabel includes a CPU circuit and a logic circuit, the electronic labelprovides a plurality of functions by using the method.

First, in step S702, the first information is received from thereader/writer by using the corresponding radio frequency module in theNFC radio frequency module and the EPC radio frequency module based onthe frequency of the signal sensed by the antenna.

To be specific, when the antenna senses a 13.56 MHz signal, the signalis processed by using the NFC radio frequency module to obtain a firstsignal. When the antenna senses a 900 MHz signal, the signal isprocessed by using the EPC radio frequency module to obtain a firstsignal. The radio frequency module converts a radio frequency sensed bythe antenna into binary data as the first information. The binary datasatisfies different protocol standards based on different near fieldcommunication protocols used by the reader/writer.

When the signal is processed by using the NFC radio frequency module, inan implementation, the NFC apparatus is an anti-counterfeit electroniclabel, the CPU circuit and the logic circuit both include acorresponding encryption/decryption unit, and the encryption/decryptionunits have different security levels, that is, a security level of theCPU circuit is higher than a security level of the logic circuit. In animplementation, when a reader/writer satisfying the ISO 15693 protocolis used to perform a read operation on the anti-counterfeit label, thefirst information sent to the label by using a radio frequency satisfiesthe ISO 15693 protocol, that is, the first information is a 15693protocol packet. The protocol packet includes a protocol identifier ofthe 15693 protocol, and the first information further includes a readinstruction. In an implementation, the first information may furtherinclude a predetermined instruction for instructing to use the logiccircuit.

In an implementation, when a reader/writer satisfying the ISO 14443protocol is used to perform a read operation on the anti-counterfeitlabel, the first information sent to the label by using a radiofrequency satisfies the ISO 14443 protocol, that is, the firstinformation is a 14443 protocol packet. The protocol packet includes aprotocol identifier of the 14443 protocol, and the first informationincludes a random number used in asymmetric encryption in addition to aread instruction. In an implementation, the first information mayfurther include a predetermined instruction for instructing to use theCPU circuit.

Step S704: Perform information processing by using a correspondingprocessing module in the NFC processing module and the EPC processingmodule in response to the first information.

When the antenna senses a 900 MHz signal, the signal is processed byusing the EPC radio frequency module to obtain a first signal. The EPCradio frequency module sends the first signal to the EPC processingmodule, so that the EPC processing module processes the first signal.When the RFID apparatus is the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the EPCprocessing module uses the encryption/decryption unit to performinformation processing to obtain second information. The method furtherincludes: sending the second information to the reader/writer by usingthe EPC radio frequency module and the antenna.

In an implementation, the RFID apparatus is the apparatus shown in FIG.3, the power control unit includes a first switch, and the first switchis connected to the CPU circuit. When the frequency of the signal sensedby the antenna is 13.56 MHz, the performing information processing byusing a corresponding processing module in the NFC processing module andthe EPC processing module in response to the first information includes:switching the first switch to a switch-off state when the communicationdistance of the first near field communication protocol is greater thanthe predetermined threshold and the first switch is in a switch-onstate; or switching the first switch to a switch-on state when thecommunication distance of the first near field communication protocol issmaller than the predetermined threshold and the first switch is in aswitch-off state, so that the CPU circuit performs informationprocessing in response to the first information. It can be understoodthat switching on and switching off the first switch are in a generalsense. For example, when the first switch is a clock switching switch,switching on the first switch is providing a clock signal with a workingfrequency by the first switch, and switching off the first switch isproviding a clock signal with a reduced working frequency or stoppingproviding a clock signal by the first switch.

In an implementation, the power control unit further includes a secondswitch, the second switch is connected to the logic circuit, and whenthe frequency of the signal sensed by the antenna is 13.56 MHz, theperforming information processing by using a corresponding processingmodule in the NFC processing module and the EPC processing module inresponse to the first information includes: switching the second switchto a switch-off state when the communication distance of the first nearfield communication protocol is smaller than the predetermined thresholdand the second switch is in a switch-on state; or switching the secondswitch to a switch-on state when the communication distance of the firstnear field communication protocol is greater than the predeterminedthreshold and the second switch is in a switch-off state, so that thelogic circuit performs information processing in response to the firstinformation.

In an implementation, the RFID apparatus is an anti-counterfeitelectronic label. The storage module stores anti-counterfeit data and akey, and the CPU circuit and the logic circuit include anencryption/decryption unit. When the antenna senses a 13.56 MHz signal,and the first information includes an indication corresponding to, forexample, the ISO 15693 protocol, the logic circuit encrypts theanti-counterfeit data based on control of the power control unit byusing the key, to obtain encrypted anti-counterfeit data as the secondinformation. The key is a symmetric key. For example, the key isgenerated inside the anti-counterfeit electronic label and registeredwith an authority. The method further includes: sending the secondinformation to the reader/writer by using the NFC radio frequency moduleand the antenna after the second information is obtained. Therefore,after receiving the second information by using the reader/writer, athird party may invoke a key management service of the authority toverify authenticity of the second information. To be specific, themethod is an online verification method.

In an implementation, the storage module further stores a private keyand a first digital signature of an authority for the public key, andthe first information including a first random number. When the firstinformation includes an indication corresponding to, for example, theISO 14443 protocol, the CPU circuit uses the private key to sign theanti-counterfeit data and the random number based on control of thepower control unit to obtain a second digital signature, so as to usethe anti-counterfeit data, the first digital signature, and the seconddigital signature as second information. The method further includes:sending the second information to the reader/writer by using the radiofrequency module and the antenna. After receiving the second informationby using the reader/writer, the third party can first verify the firstdigital signature by using the pre-obtained public key of the authorityto verify authenticity of the public key in the NFC apparatus, andverify the second digital signature by using the public key in the NFCapparatus, then to verify authenticity of the anti-counterfeit data. Tobe specific, the method is an offline verification method.

When the frequency of the signal sensed by the antenna is 900 MHz, theEPC processing module invokes the encryption/decryption unit in thelogic circuit to obtain the second information. Theencryption/decryption unit encrypts the anti-counterfeit data by usingthe key, to obtain encrypted anti-counterfeit data as the secondinformation.

The RFID apparatus, for example, can send the second information to thereader/writer by using a load modulation technology. When the RFIDapparatus includes a power supply, the RFID apparatus can actively sendthe second information to the reader/writer by transmitting a radiofrequency.

In an implementation, when the RFID apparatus is the apparatus shown inFIG. 6, the previous steps are performed by providing energy by theenergy receiving module.

In the RFID apparatus in the implementations of the presentspecification, antennas sharing 13.56 MHz are integrated to form an NFCpart and a UHF part, thereby saving a chip area. An encryption module isshared, so that the UHF part reaches a higher security level. Inaddition, the energy receiving circuit is preposed, so that the UHF parthas a further transmit distance. In the NFC part, a power supply of theCPU circuit is controlled by using the power control unit based on aspecific protocol, so that the CPU circuit is suppressed during remotecommunication, and sufficient electric energy is provided during remotecommunication. As such, the RFID apparatus not only can perform remotecommunication, but also has a high security level. Therefore, the RFIDapparatus is more applicable.

It should be understood that descriptions such as “first” and “second”in the present specification are merely intended to distinguish betweensimilar concepts for the sake of simplicity of description, and do nothave another limitation function.

The implementations of the present specification are described in aprogressive way. For same or similar parts of the implementations,references can be made to the implementations mutually. Eachimplementation focuses on a difference from other implementations.Particularly, a system implementation is similar to a methodimplementation, and therefore is described briefly. For related parts,references can be made to related descriptions in the methodimplementation.

Specific implementations of the present specification are describedabove. Other implementations fall within the scope of the appendedclaims. In some situations, the actions or steps described in the claimscan be performed in an order different from the order in theimplementations and the desired results can still be achieved. Inaddition, the process depicted in the accompanying drawings does notnecessarily need a particular execution order to achieve the desiredresults. In some implementations, multi-tasking and concurrentprocessing is feasible or can be advantageous.

A person of ordinary skill in the art can be further aware that, incombination with the examples described in the implementations disclosedin the present specification, units and algorithm steps can beimplemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combinationthereof. To clearly describe interchangeability between the hardware andthe software, compositions and steps of each example are generallydescribed above based on functions. Whether the functions are performedby hardware or software depends on particular applications and designconstraint conditions of the technical solutions. A person of ordinaryskill in the art can use different methods to implement the describedfunctions for each particular application, but it should not beconsidered that the implementation goes beyond the scope of the presentapplication.

Steps of methods or algorithms described in the implementationsdisclosed in the present specification can be implemented by hardware, asoftware module executed by a processor, or a combination thereof. Thesoftware module can reside in a random access memory (RAM), a memory, aread-only memory (ROM), an electrically programmable ROM, anelectrically erasable programmable ROM, a register, a hard disk, aremovable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known inthe art.

In the described specific implementations, the objective, technicalsolutions, and benefits of the present disclosure are further describedin detail. It should be understood that the descriptions are merelyspecific implementations of the present disclosure, but are not intendedto limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. Anymodification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made withoutdeparting from the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shouldfall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A radio-frequency-based communications apparatus,comprising: an antenna; a near field communication (NFC) radio frequencymodule and an electronic product code (EPC) radio frequency moduleseparately connected to the antenna, wherein the NFC radio frequencymodule comprises: a demodulator; a first decoder configured to decodesignals transmitted according to a first NFC protocol associated with afirst communication distance; and a second decoder configured to decodesignals transmitted according to a second NFC protocol associated with asecond communication distance that is greater than the firstcommunication distance; an NFC processing module connected to the NFCradio frequency module, wherein the NFC processing module comprises: acentral processing unit (CPU) circuit configured to process firstdecoded signals output by the first decoder; a logic circuit configuredto process second decoded signals output by the second decoder; and apower control unit configured to operate the CPU circuit and the logiccircuit based on an input NFC protocol of an input signal received bythe antenna; and an EPC processing module connected to the EPC radiofrequency module, wherein: the NFC radio frequency module and the NFCprocessing module are configured to process signals transmittedaccording to predetermined NFC protocols including the first NFCprotocol and the second NFC protocol, and the EPC radio frequency moduleand the EPC processing module are configured to process signalstransmitted according to one or more predetermined EPC protocols.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein operating the CPU circuit and the logiccircuit based on the input NFC protocol of the input signal comprises:suppressing the CPU circuit when the input NFC protocol is the secondNFC protocol; and suppressing the logic circuit when the input NFCprotocol is the first NFC protocol.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein: the NFC radio frequency module is configured to output firstinformation satisfying the first NFC protocol based on a radio frequencysignal received from the antenna; and the CPU circuit is connected tothe NFC radio frequency module using the power control unit, and thepower control unit is configured to operate the CPU circuit based on thefirst information, wherein operating the CPU circuit comprisessuppressing the CPU circuit when a communication distance of the firstNFC protocol is greater than a predetermined threshold.
 4. The apparatusof claim 3, wherein: the logic circuit is connected to the NFC radiofrequency module using the power control unit; and the power controlunit is configured to suppress the logic circuit when the communicationdistance of the first NFC protocol is less than the predeterminedthreshold.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the demodulator isconfigured to output a baseband signal demodulated by the demodulator toeither the first decoder or the second decoder based on a protocolidentifier included in the baseband signal.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5,wherein the EPC processing module is connected to at least one of afirst encryption/decryption unit of the CPU circuit or a secondencryption/decryption unit of the logic circuit.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising an energy receiving module, wherein theenergy receiving module is separately connected to the antenna, the NFCradio frequency module, and the EPC radio frequency module.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a storage module, wherein thestorage module is separately connected to the NFC processing module andthe EPC processing module, the apparatus is an anti-counterfeitelectronic label, and the storage module stores anti-counterfeitinformation.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the NFC radiofrequency module and the NFC processing module process signals having afirst frequency sensed by the antenna; the EPC radio frequency moduleand the EPC processing module process signals having a second frequencysensed by the antenna; and the first frequency is different from thesecond frequency.
 10. An information processing method, the methodcomprising: receiving, by an antenna of a radio-frequency-basedcommunication apparatus, an input signal having an input frequency andtransmitted according to a particular communication protocol;determining whether the input frequency is a first frequency or a secondfrequency; and processing the input signal, wherein processing the inputsignal comprises: responsive to determining that the input frequency isthe first frequency: processing the input signal using an NFC radiofrequency module and an NFC processing module of theradio-frequency-based communication apparatus, including: demodulating,by a demodulator of the radio-frequency-based communication apparatus,the input signal; determining whether an input NFC protocol according towhich the input signal was transmitted is a first NFC protocolassociated with a first communication distance or a second NFC protocolassociated with a second communication distance; in response todetermining that the input NFC protocol is the first NFC protocol: decoding the demodulated signal using a first decoder configured todecode signals transmitted according for the first NFC protocol; and processing, by a central processing unit (CPU) circuit of theradio-frequency-based communication apparatus, a first decoded signaloutput by the first decoder; in response to determining that the inputNFC protocol is the second NFC protocol:  decoding the demodulatedsignal using a second decoder configured to decode signals transmittedaccording for the second NFC protocol; and  processing, by a logiccircuit of the radio-frequency-based communication apparatus, a seconddecoded signal output by the second decoder; and responsive todetermining that the input frequency is a second frequency differentfrom the first frequency, processing the input signal using anelectronic product code (EPC) radio frequency module and an EPCprocessing module of the radio-frequency-based communication apparatus,wherein the NFC radio frequency module and the EPC radio frequencymodule are separately connected to the antenna.
 11. The method of claim10, further comprising operating, by a power control unit of theradio-frequency-based communication apparatus, the CPU circuit and thelogic circuit based on the determination of the input NFC protocol. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein operating the CPU circuit and the logiccircuit based on the input NFC protocol comprises: suppressing the CPUcircuit when the input NFC protocol is the second NFC protocol; andsuppressing the logic circuit when the input NFC protocol is the firstNFC protocol.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the EPC processingmodule is connected to at least one of a first encryption/decryptionunit of the CPU circuit or a second encryption/decryption unit of thelogic circuit.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein theradio-frequency-based communication apparatus comprises an energyreceiving module, wherein the energy receiving module is separatelyconnected to the antenna, the NFC radio frequency module, and the EPCradio frequency module.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein theradio-frequency-based communication apparatus comprises a storagemodule, wherein the storage module is separately connected to the NFCprocessing module and the EPC processing module, the apparatus is ananti-counterfeit electronic label, and the storage module storesanti-counterfeit information.
 16. The method according to claim 10,wherein: the radio-frequency-based communication apparatus comprises astorage module that stores anti-counterfeit data and a key; processingthe input signal comprises encrypting the anti-counterfeit data by alogic circuit of the NFC processing module using the key to obtainencrypted anti-counterfeit data; and the method further comprisessending the encrypted anti-counterfeit data to a reader/writer using theNFC radio frequency module and the antenna.
 17. The method of claim 10,wherein: the radio-frequency-based communication apparatus comprises astorage module that stores a private key, a public key, and a firstdigital signature of an authority for the public key; the input signalcomprises first information comprising a first random number; processingthe input signal comprises signing anti-counterfeit data and a randomnumber by a CPU circuit of the NFC processing module using the privatekey to obtain a second digital signature; and the method furthercomprises sending, for a reader/writer, second information comprisingthe anti-counterfeit data, the public key, the first digital signature,and the second digital signature using the NFC radio frequency moduleand the antenna.
 18. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storingone or more instructions executable by a computer system to performoperations comprising: receiving, by an antenna of aradio-frequency-based communication apparatus, an input signal having aninput frequency and transmitted according to a particular communicationprotocol; determining whether the input frequency is a first frequencyor a second frequency; and processing the input signal, whereinprocessing the input signal comprises: responsive to determining thatthe input frequency is the first frequency: processing the input signalusing an NFC radio frequency module and an NFC processing module of theradio-frequency-based communication apparatus, including: demodulating,by a demodulator of the radio-frequency-based communication apparatus,the input signal; determining whether an input NFC protocol according towhich the input signal was transmitted is a first NFC protocolassociated with a first communication distance or a second NFC protocolassociated with a second communication distance; in response todetermining that the input NFC protocol is the first NFC protocol: decoding the demodulated signal using a first decoder configured todecode signals transmitted according for the first NFC protocol; and processing, by a CPU circuit of the radio-frequency-based communicationapparatus, a first decoded signal output by the first decoder; inresponse to determining that the input NFC protocol is the second NFCprotocol:  decoding the demodulated signal using a second decoderconfigured to decode signals transmitted according for the second NFCprotocol; and  processing, by a logic circuit of theradio-frequency-based communication apparatus, a second decoded signaloutput by the second decoder; and responsive to determining that theinput frequency is a second frequency different from the firstfrequency, processing the input signal using an electronic product code(EPC) radio frequency module and an EPC processing module of theradio-frequency-based communication apparatus, wherein the NFC radiofrequency module and the EPC radio frequency module are separatelyconnected to the antenna.